Below we examined some of the most noteworthy ownership changes in the league’s history.

Other notable transactions include the New York Knicks, a team that was sold for $1.1 billion in 1994. However, this deal included the Rangers (NHL) as well as the MSG Network. Forbes estimated the price tag for the team to be around $300 million, but no exact figure was found.

Similarly, the Washington Wizards sold for a total of $550 million in 2010. But this also included the Verizon Center. Ted Leonsis, who then took over control, already had 44 percent ownership stakes in the team so it’s a very tough estimate.

Los Angeles Lakers (1979) — $20 Million

In a tribute to Jerry Buss when he passed away in 2013, a writer summarized some details of the deal (via Hollywood Reporter):

“Buss acquired the Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979 in a complicated $67 million deal involving cash and land swaps that valued the team at $16 million … Including the sale of the Forum in nearby Inglewood, pro hockey’s Los Angeles Kings and other assets, it was the biggest deal in sports history at the time.”

While the ownership was not just to acquire the Lakers, it set a precedent for the price tag of a marquee sports franchise.

Utah Jazz (1986) — $24 Million

This is tough to understand as Larry H. Miller purchased half the team in 1985 for $9.5 million then the remaining 50 percent the following year for $17.3 million. John Stockton and Karl Malone were both about to add significant value to the team and they won the division shortly after in 1989.

Orlando Magic (1991) — $85 Million

Richard DeVos purchased the Magic, who were an expansion team founded in 1989, for a record-setting price (via Forbes):

“Real estate investor William DuPont owned the team for only two years before flipping it to DeVos in 1991 for $85 million. DeVos gave his new fans almost immediate gratification as the Magic reached the finals in 1995 with a young Shaquille O’Neal.”

If the last name looks familiar, it’s because he is the co-founder of Amway and his daughter-in-law is United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

Dallas Mavericks (2000)— $285 Million

In a profile on Mark Cuban, we learned some thought the record-breaking price he paid for the team in Dallas was ridiculous (via Grantland):

“There was a parade for Cuban’s Mavericks in the summer of 2011, after they shocked the basketball world by upsetting the Miami Heat in the Finals. That celebration took place just over 11 years after he bought the franchise for $285 million. Some believed Cuban had foolishly overpaid for one of the laughingstock franchises in pro sports.”

Years later, he has proven himself as one of the more successful owners in professional sports.

Boston Celtics (2002) — $360 Million

While the deal may have been unexpected, it proved to be immediately fruitful (via Washington Post):

“The Celtics franchise passed into the hands of a group of longtime fans who pledged to bring a championship back to the city. The agreement to buy the team for a league-record $360 million was announced on Sept. 27, and the NBA approved the deal late Monday.”

Boston won another league championship in 2008 and their new star power can help bring more banners moving forward as well.

Golden State Warriors (2010)— $450 Million

The return on investment for owner Joe Lacob has been fantastic when you look at what the team was worth less than one decade ago (via CNBC.com):

“The Warriors franchise, which was bought by Chris Cohan in 1995 for $119 million, was valued at $315 million by Forbes in December of last year, but the Warriors’ location in the Bay area undoubtedly added more interest and thus a higher price.”

Golden State may be worth significantly more than the estimate from Forbes as they are moving into a new arena and have played historically well in recent years.

Sacramento Kings (2012) — $534 Million

One reason that Vivek Ranadive paid so much for this team was to keep them in Sacramento (via NBA.com):

“Ranadive agreed to a valuation that was $10 million higher than the initial valuation of the Kings by Seattle hedge fund manager Chris Hansen, who reached a deal with the Maloofs in January for 65 percent of the team on a valuation of $525 million. But Hansen’s request to move the Kings to Seattle was rejected by the NBA’s Board of Governors.”

If he did not pay such a large price, the Kings may have moved to Seattle.

Los Angeles Clippers (2014)— $2 Billion

“The recent sale of the Milwaukee Bucks broke the record for the highest team purchase price at $550 million. The reported Clippers sale price is $1.45 billion more than that, or 3.6 times as high. As recently as 2010, a team (the Charlotte Bobcats) was sold for only $240 million. That’s never happening again. (For what it’s worth, Sterling paid $12.5 million for the San Diego Clippers in 1981.)”

As the value of teams increased, however, it may prove that Ballmer paid a fair price for the Clippers.

Houston Rockets (2017) — $2.2 Billion

The Rockets were sold to Leslie Alexander for $85 million in 1993. Adjusting for inflation, this calculates to $1.43 billion. Forbes estimated earlier this year that the team was worth $1.65 billion.

As such, it’s worth congratulating Alexander on an impressive sale in improving the valuation for the Rockets. However, as we can see when looking at other historic NBA sales, the return on investment nearly always proves to be worth it.

Bryan Kalbrosky

Bryan is an NBA writer for HoopsHype and was the editor for USA TODAY SMG's Rams Wire blog. He has published with FOX Sports, Noisey, Bleacher Report, LA Weekly, Huffington Post and various other publications. bryan.kalbrosky@gmail.com.